As they struggle to save for retirement, a growing number of middle-class Americans plan to postpone their golden years until they are in their 80's.

Nearly one-third, or 30%, now plan to work until they are 80 or older -- up from 25% a year ago, according to a Wells Fargo survey of 1,000 adults with income less than $100,000.

"It is so tough for Americans to save for retirement that the answer seems to be to work longer," said Joe Ready, director of Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust.

Overall, 70% of respondents plan to work during retirement, many of whom plan to do so because they simply won't be able to afford to retire full time.

But working well into your 70's, 80's or even 90's, isn't always realistic, said Ready. Nearly three-quarters of those who plan to work into their 80's say their employer won't want them working when they're that old, for example. Other roadblocks, like health issues, could arise as well.

Those who are unable to work as long as they intend could therefore face a very grim reality. In fact, more than one-third of Americans could wind up living at or near poverty in retirement, the survey found.

About 34% of middle-class Americans expect their retirement income to be 50% or less of their current annual income. Given Census Bureau data showing a median household income of $50,054 in 2011, this would mean living on roughly $25,000 or less per year -- which is near the poverty line for a family of four, the report found.

Retirement saving on the backburner: Half of middle-class Americans report that their most pressing financial concern is paying their monthly bills, up from 37% a year ago. Saving for retirement is second on the list.

Respondents also said that home remodeling and vacation planning have taken precedence over saving for retirement over the past 12 months.

As a result, there's a huge disparity between what people need and what they have saved. While respondents said they will need a median of $300,000 in total savings to support themselves in retirement, the average amount saved is only $25,000.

Originally posted here:
More Americans Delaying Retirement Until Age 80

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BlackRock, Inc. (BLK) today launched a new digital retirement center to coincide with the congressionally-sanctioned National Save for Retirement Week, which runs from October 21 through 27. Individuals are encouraged to visit The BlackRock Retirement Center to access insights, resources and tools at http://www.blackrock.com/retirement.

The BlackRock Retirement Center features practical and relevant age-based content and insights to help individuals better prepare for retirement in what BlackRock has called a New World of Investing, in which yields are low, markets are volatile and confidence is scarce. The age-based content assists investors with defining needs, identifying goals and providing actionable steps when saving and investing for or during their retirement.

The launch coincides with BlackRocks observation of National Save for Retirement Week a national event sanctioned by Congress to promote retirement savings among Americans and to encourage employees to participate in their employer-sponsored retirement plans.

One of the most important human achievements of our time is people are living longer, said Robert Kapito, President of BlackRock. But we cannot continue to allow the blessing of longer lifespans to become a burden - safeguarding financially secure retirements is the defining challenge of our society.

BlackRock Investor Watch a nationwide survey fielded in September, found many respondents to be more concerned than ever before about retirement planning and they are taking action. The survey found that 70 percent of investors are initiating conversations with their financial advisors about retirement. The complete set of findings from BlackRock Investor Watch will be released in the coming weeks.

At BlackRock we feel an enormous responsibility to the investors we serve, Mr. Kapito said. Of the $3.6 trillion in assets under BlackRocks management, two-thirds are in some way related to retirement. Behind the pension funds and 401ks we manage, and the mutual funds and ETFs we sell are real people facing real challenges, and they are depending on those assets. They are firefighters, teachers, parents and students and all of them are or will be retirees.

With the launch of the retirement center, we hope to reach people of all ages who can benefit from our insights and digital resources. When it comes to retirement savings, no action is too small; however, starting early is a critical factor in building retirement income over time.

To highlight the people that BlackRock serves, the Company is also launching today advertisements in the United States emphasizing the importance of providing secure retirements for those who protect, teach and serve Americans nationwide.

Features of the BlackRock Retirement Center

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BlackRock Launches New Digital Retirement Center

Current workers who are planning for retirement often envision retirement as something very different from what current retirees are actually experiencing. A recent BlackRock and Boston Research Group poll of 1,002 workers with retirement accounts at work and 1,035 retirees who previously participated in a 401(k) or similar type of retirement plan found that workers are expecting to pay for and experience retirement in a way that contrasts with the lifestyle of current retirees. Here's a look at how current workers are planning to remake retirement:

Aiming for a later retirement age. Many current workers plan to stay on the job until their mid or late 60s. Some 48 percent of workers think they will retire at age 64 or later. Another 17 percent of workers surveyed think they will never retire due to their finances or personal preferences. "They are much less confident of their ability to actually amass the dollars they need to retire," says Warren Cormier, president of Boston Research Group. "I don't know if its pessimism or realism. They are not as far along in the path toward retirement as they had hoped." Only 19 percent of current retirees were able and willing to work until age 64 or later. Job loss, health problems, or family circumstances often push people into retirement ahead of schedule. While only 11 percent of current workers plan to retire before age 60, 42 percent of current retirees left their jobs before reaching their 60s.

[See the Best Places to Retire for Under $40,000.]

Planning on working in retirement. Only 15 percent of current workers envision a retirement that involves not working at all. Most workers would like their retirement to include volunteer work (36 percent), paid employment even though they won't need the money (34 percent), or working out of necessity (15 percent). "Working a few more years really lessens the amount you will need in retirement," says Chip Castille, head of BlackRock's U.S. and Canada Defined Contribution Group. "As we move into a retirement system that relies more on defined-contribution than defined-benefit plans, people are realizing they may need to work a little bit longer." Most of the retirees surveyed (86 percent) don't receive any income from employment. And planning to work in retirement doesn't mean you will be able to find a job or will still want to work or be able to work in your late 60s.

[Read: New Retirees: Avoid These Mistakes.]

Depending on a 401(k) to fund retirement. Almost half of workers (48 percent) expect their 401(k) or 403(b) plan to be their largest source of monthly income in retirement. Most workers (75 percent) expect to begin drawing down their 401(k) at age 65 or later. But only 15 percent of retirees get 25 percent or more of their retirement income from their 401(k) and similar types of savings and investment accounts, even though all the retirees in the survey participated in a retirement account while they were working. "The current retirees take a vast portion of their income from secure income sources such as Social Security and legacy defined-benefit plans and they are secure in their concept of receiving Social Security," says Cormier. "People who are actively working today don't have a defined-benefit plan available to them. The only thing they have left to expect is a defined-contribution plan. It's a completely different mix of what is available to them to pay expenses in retirement." The more retirement income sources you have, the better protected you will be if something goes wrong with any one of them.

[Read: 10 Things You Should Know About Your 401(k) Plan.]

Saving for a shorter period of retirement. Most workers (61 percent) think their savings or investments will need to last for between 20 and 29 years. Only a quarter of the employees surveyed think their retirement savings and investments will need to last for 30 or more years. But what if you end up living until 100? Most retirees (52 percent) think their savings needs to last for 30 or more years after retirement. "Current workers tend to underestimate how long they are going to live and retirees have a better idea," says Castille. "Retirees have actually gone through the exercise of creating a budget."

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How Retirement Expectations Differ From Reality

Happy "National Save for Retirement Week"! Retirement has become such a hot issue, that the Senate passed a Resolution "with the goal of increasing the retirement savings and personal financial literacy of all people in the United States." To help further the Senate's cause, here are the steps you need to take to get your retirement plan on track.

What are the core components to every retirement plan?

1. Determine how much money you spend. Whether you use a software program (Quicken), an app (Mint.com), a spreadsheet or an old-fashioned legal pad, it's nearly impossible to build a retirement plan without determining how much money is coming in and going out these days.

2. Pay down outstanding consumer debt. This includes credit cards, auto loans, etc., but not mortgage debt.

3. Establish an emergency cash (or cash equivalent) reserve fund of 6-12 months of expenses (1-2 years if you are in, or within two years, of retirement).

4. Crunch your retirement numbers: use an online retirement calculator like EBRI's Choose to Save Ballpark E$timate to determine where you currently stand. To be conservative, use 4 to 4.5 percent for an inflation assumption; for rate of investment return, use 4-6 percent; for life expectancy, use 95 if you are younger than 50, and use 90 if you are over 50 (for a more precise estimate, go to http://www.livingto100.com and use their Life Expectancy Calculator.) You can also go to the Social Security estimator to review your future benefit.

With those steps completed, let's break down the next steps by age.

5. Under 25: About two-thirds of those who earned bachelor's degrees last year graduated with student loan debt and of those, the average amount of debt is about $26,500. With that burden, combined with a tough job market, it's hard to help young workers focus on retirement. If you are fortunate enough to have a job, now is the time to begin the habit of saving for retirement. The goal is to contribute an amount that will allow you to qualify for your employer's match into its retirement plan. For many, this will be 6 percent of salary.

6. Ages 25-40: Those college years are fading fast and now its time to increase retirement contributions to at least 10 percent of income. There will always be competing goals during these years, like saving for a house down payment or putting away college money for your own kids, but these should occur after your own retirement contribution or simultaneously, if you can afford to do so. Securing your own financial future is paramount in these years.

7. Ages 40-55: Hopefully, you are entering your prime earning years, which means that your retirement contributions should be increasing to 15 percent or more. The contribution limit for 401 (k) plans will increase by $500 to $17,500 next year and if you are 50 or over, the catch-up contribution level is $5,500.

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The 9-step retirement plan

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BMO Retirement Services has introduced a personalized retirement income calculator that provides information to regularly reassure plan participants that their retirement income goals are on track.

"The new, fully-automated BMO calculator is designed for all participants, but we especially want to target those who are at risk of giving up because they are daunted by the size of their goal," said Todd Perala, Director of Relationship Management. The calculator can be accessed by plan participants at mybmoretirement.com.

Rather than present a total retirement dollar figure, which can dishearten participants, the BMO calculator enables employees to review their estimated savings in terms of monthly retirement income. "Plan sponsors have indicated to us that a monthly income perspective, instead of a total sum perspective, can be a critical distinction as to how plan participants perceive their goal," Perala observed.

BMO's calculator is designed to pop up when a participant logs onto an account, and is reset to reappear once every 30 days. According to Perala, this may be especially helpful to the more than the estimated 60 percent of US workers who have never calculated how much they need to save.

The calculator is fully personalized for each participant, incorporating that individual's current balance, prospective retirement age, estimated length of retirement, current pre-tax income and three other key measures. Auto step-up features, the availability of catch-up contributions, and any company contributions can be built into the BMO calculator based on plan design. This information enables participants to access a monthly income projection at retirement based on current savings in the plan, paired with monthly income the participant is expected to need at retirement.

The calculator also gives employees the ability to adjust the calculation to include other assets or review different savings scenarios. "Participants are prone to stop saving when they are overwhelmed by the magnitude of their savings goal," said Perala. "Among the numerous calculators available to plan sponsors and participants, BMO's newest entry directly addresses this widespread challenge."

About BMO Retirement Services BMO Global Asset Management is a global, award-winning provider of retirement, trust and custody services.

BMO Global Asset Management provides holistic, solution-driven services to our institutional and high-net-worth clients and the BMO family of mutual funds. With a nearly 40-year legacy of fiduciary service and goal of promoting retirement readiness to our more than 500,000 participants in over 1,500 retirement plans our clients include retirement plans, Taft-Hartley funds, government and public funds, not-for-profit organizations and family offices. BMO Global Asset Management's commitment to service excellence has led us to be recognized by Pension & Investments as one of the Top 100 largest asset managers.

We are a part of BMO Financial Group (BMO), a fully diversified financial services firm with $542 billion total assets and more than 46,000 employees as of July 31, 2012.

BMO Retirement Services is a part of BMO Global Asset Management and a division of the BMO Harris Bank N.A., offering products and services through various affiliates of BMO Financial Group.

Originally posted here:
BMO Retirement Services' New Retirement Income Calculator Seeks to Assist Plan Participants to Reach Their Retirement ...

I'm in my late 20s and am behind in preparing for retirement. What's the best way to catch up -- Taylor, Winston Salem, N.C

I'm happy to see someone so young so concerned about planning for retirement. But let's not get carried away here. If you're still in your 20s, it's hard to imagine that you could have fallen very far behind.

You're at the beginning of your career, which means you've got a good 35 to 40 years of working, saving and investing ahead of you. So even if you've done nada to date, there's no reason to panic.

That said, you don't want to put this off any longer, and the best way to get started is to realize from the get-go that the single best way to assure yourself a comfortable retirement is to save as much as you can on a regular basis.

That's true whether you're behind and trying to get back on track, or if you're already on course and want to stay there.

Unfortunately, a lot of people are under the mistaken impression that smart investing is the surest route to retirement security. I suspect that's because the financial press spends so much time obsessing about the markets and giving the impression that you can easily boost your returns by deftly shifting your money around.

If only it were so. But the fact is that while investing is certainly important, increasing the amount you save is a much more effective method of improving your retirement prospects.

Speaking of saving, it just so happens that the U.S. Senate has designated this week as National Save For Retirement Week. If you're into florid legislative language with "whereas this" and "resolved that," you can take a look at the actual resolution. But if you prefer to do something more practical to jump start your retirement planning, I suggest you do the following.

First, get a handle on how much you should be salting away each year. With retirement still so far off there's no way to know precisely how much you need to set aside. But you want to at least arrive at a ballpark figure, which you can do by going to our What You Need To Save Tool and plugging in your age, salary and the amount you've already saved.

When you're further along in your career, try a more robust retirement calculator that allows you to get a more customized assessment of whether you're saving enough, how your savings are invested, how much you expect to collect in Social Security and pensions and your planned retirement age. For now, though, a rough estimate is just fine.

Originally posted here:
Retirement saving: Catching up in your 20s

This story is part of Money magazine's Retirement Guide 2013, where you'll find strategies to guide you through the last stretch, starting at 10 years out, then five years, one year, and, finally, your first year of leisure.

With just five years left before you retire, you need to begin solidifying your plans. Make sure you're still on track, but also nail down where you'll live (the largest expense in retirement) and how you'll meet your health care needs (the second biggest).

What to do

See if you need a course correction. A lot can happen between years 10 and five that could necessitate a change in plans -- including an illness, a job loss, or an extended bear market. Or maybe you just haven't managed to accrue the nine-times-salary savings that would be ideal at this point.

You're not out of luck: You may be able to retire on less than you'd hoped or get to your goal by working longer.

A one-time review with a financial planner who charges by the hour (find one at napfa.org) can be worth the $1,000 or so investment to help you figure out where you stand.

At a minimum, plug your info into T. Rowe Price's Retirement Income Calculator (troweprice.com) to see your chances of retiring with your desired income.

Examine health care costs. Better include an estimate for health insurance and out-of-pocket care costs in your income-needs projections.

If you'll retire before Medicare kicks in at 65, you could have a big expense ahead. For a 62-year-old couple with one spouse in ill health, premiums run up to $2,300 a month on the individual market, according to eHealthInsurance.com.

Exchanges created under the 2010 reforms may reduce costs, but you'll still pay more than you do now. Have an independent agent (find one at nahu.org) price plans for you.

Excerpt from:
Retirement Guide: 5 Years Left? Do This Now

This week is National Save for Retirement Week, an educational campaign to raise public awareness about the importance of long-term retirement planning.

The program, created by bipartisan Congressional action, encourages Americans to utilize retirement savings and investment plan strategies. The week also encourages individuals to reflect on their current financial situations and their potential for a secure retirement in the future.

Below, some surprising statistics and insights on where Americans stand today, as well as their expectations, fears, and hopes about retiring:

There are varying estimates of how much money an individual needs to retire. One guideline suggests $1 million, while another recommends you save 10 times your last annual salary. But theres no one-size-fits-all approach, and youll have to consider a variety of factors to determine whats best for you and your familylike your age and current annual income, desired retirement age and income, and expected annual pension and Social Security. Then, of course, your personal spending habits weigh in.

There are plenty of retirement calculators available, such as CNNMoneys calculator, AARPs retirement predictor, and SmartMoneys retirement planner. Working with a financial adviser can also help determine how much money youll need.

According to a Life Insurance and Market Research Association study, 49 percent of Americans say they arent contributing to any retirement plan. Those least likely to save for retirement: individuals between ages 18 and 34.

What are Americans doing instead? In another survey by Wells Fargo, planning a home remodel and planning a vacation ranked higher on the list of priorities within the past year than planning for retirement (which ranked third).

Apparently 80 is the new 65 for many middle-class Americans when it comes to retirement. One-third of survey respondents plan to delay retirement till age 80 or older, according to a Wells Fargo study of 1,000 adults with income less than $100,000. Thats up from 25 percent who planned to retire at age 80 during last years survey.

Another study by My New Financial Advisor, a service that connects clients with advisers, suggests the average baby boomer will retire at age 75. Some of the top issues preventing an earlier retirement: loss of income, insufficient savings, low returns, high taxes, past-due taxes, and low wage growth.

According to a Wells Fargo study, 70 percent of middle-class Americans arent comfortable investing retirement money in the stock market. When survey respondents were asked what theyd do if given $5,000 to invest for retirement, only 24 percent said theyd invest in stocks compared to 40 percent who would choose a CD or savings account and another 22 percent who would invest in gold or precious metals.

Go here to read the rest:
8 Surprising Truths About Retirement

After retirement, you need to decide whether you should roll over your 401(k) to an IRA. Once you are no longer working at a company, it's often a good idea to move your money to a retirement account that is not tied to your former employer. Here are seven reasons to rollover your 401(k) to an IRA:

Cashing out is a bad idea. On each withdrawal you'll have to pay tax (marginal rate) on the lump sum and a 10 percent penalty if you're under age 59 1/2. It's better to take distributions over many years to minimize the tax. Delaying withdrawals as long as you can also gives your retirement fund more time to grow.

Lower fees. Your 401(k) plan has administrative fees which will cut into your investment returns over the years. If you roll your money over to an IRA, you may be able to avoid paying administrative costs, especially if you don't sign up for investment management at a brokerage. Also, some 401(k) plans will charge an extra maintenance fee once you are no longer an employee. Check with your company to see if this fee applies to your plan.

401(k) changes. Your 401(k) investment choices, trustees, and fees can all change at any time. If you don't work there, you might not get the latest information as quickly as those who do. When these big changes are scheduled to occur, the employer usually holds information sessions to communicate the changes. If you don't work there, these in-person sessions may not be available to you. If you don't pay close attention to your 401(k) statements, you might not even know about the changes until after they occur.

More control. Most 401(k) plans have restrictions. My previous employer will not let me invest the employer contribution portion of my 401(k) account. This portion is invested in a "global diversified" investment that has no ticker. I'm not willing to live with these restrictions once I'm no longer an employee. I want total control of my investments, and that's why I'm in the process of rolling over my 401(k).

Employer stock. It's hard to believe, but many employees still have a large portion of their 401(k) invested in their employer's stock. Some companies invest their employer contribution straight into company stock. This is a bad idea because there are too many eggs in that basket. If your employer goes out of business, you could lose not only your job, but also your retirement savings. Read up on Enron if you think investing in your employer's stock is a good idea.

Better investment choices. Most 401(k) plans have very limited investment choices. Unfortunately, many of these funds are of the high fee and high expense ratio variety. If you roll your money over to an IRA, then you can invest in anything you want to. Some investors might want to invest in individual stocks, and that's easy to do in an IRA. I'm more partial to low-fee Vanguard funds, and I can pick any of them in an IRA.

Consolidate and simplify. Workers who frequently change jobs can end up with several different 401(k) accounts if they don't roll them over into an IRA. It's much easier to check on your investments if they are all in one IRA instead of many 401(k)s. A single IRA also makes it much easier to revamp your investments. You will be surprised at how much in fees you are paying as your 401(k) balance grows. I found out I paid $1,754.91 per year in fees, and that's not acceptable.

There are many things to deal with when you leave your job or career, but don't forget about your retirement account. This could be your largest investment if you work with one employer for a long time.

Joe Udo is planning an exit strategy from his corporate job by reducing expenses and increasing passive income. He blogs about his journey to early retirement at Retire by 40.

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7 Reasons to Rollover Your 401(k) After Retirement

LONDON (ShareCast) - Shares in household products and personal care behemoth Reckitt Benckiser (LSE: RB.L - news) jumped after it produced solid results for the third quarter, with like-for-like net revenue growth of four per cent at constant exchange rates driven by strong growth in emerging markets. It also said it will meet growth expectations.

For the year-to-date (YTD), net revenues of 7,091m were also up 4% on a like-for-like basis. However, if you include the impact of exchange rates, net revenues for the year to date were flat compared with the same period in 2011.

Rakesh Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, said: "Reckitt Benckiser's strong third quarter results were underpinned by an excellent performance in emerging markets and an improved performance in Europe North America. Growth came from all core areas and categories. RBP continues to make very good progress with Suboxone sublingual film. I am very pleased that our new strategy and our renewed commitment to managing the business for the long term are showing encouraging results.

"Our results give us the confidence to reiterate our FY 2012 target of like-for-like net revenue growth (excluding its RBP acquisition) of 200bps above our market growth rate. We now expect market growth to be at the top end of the 1-2% range. We continue to expect to maintain full year operating margins."

Europe (Chicago Options: ^REURUSD - news) and North America

In Europe and North America, which delivered 55% of core net revenues, total net revenues YTD decreased to 3,442m with flat like-for-like growth.

Within this geographic area, Gaviscon and Durex delivered strong results for the health division, though this was offset by weakness YTD in seasonal brands such as Mucinex, Strepsils and certain products within Nurofen on the back of a slower start to the 'flu season earlier in the year.

Its Hygiene brands of Lysol and Finish performed strongly, particularly in the US behind new initiatives, such as Lysol Power & Free, Finish Quantum and All-in-1 gel packs and tablets. In the Home category, Vanish shares showed positive momentum, although the market is still down.

Latin America and Asia-Pacific (KSE: 002790.KS - news)

In Latin America and Asia-Pacific, which delivered 28% of core net revenues, total net revenues YTD increased 11% at constant exchange rates to 1,736m, with like-for-like growth of 11%.

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Reckitt Benckiser sees strong growth in emerging markets - UPDATE